Trump revives controversial "Bowling Ball Test" claim against Japan

US President Donald Trump has once again raised the controversial “Bowling Ball Test” in his latest analysis of Japan’s trade practices.

On Easter Sunday, in a social media post, Trump mentioned a list of eight examples, which he called “non-tariff cheating,” and he highlighted the “Bowling Ball Test” specifically as a strange allegation.

According to Trump, this test is used by Japan to unethically block American-made cars from entering its market.

In 2018, Donald Trump made the claim of the “Bowling Ball Test”, alleging that, from a height of 20 feet, Japanese regulators drop a bowling ball onto the hood of a car. If the hood dents, the car gets ineligible for sale in Japan.

Donald Trump has defined this as an example of “protective technical standards” that favour local industries while excluding foreign competitors.

However, organisations that check facts have discredited this claim, and even White House officials at the time considered it a joke.

Despite its doubtful background, the “Bowling Ball Test” has become a frequent symbol in Trump’s rhetoric about trade blockades.

Donald Trump claims that such practices demonstrate the biased treatment of American goods in global markets.

The claim has raised consideration of broader issues regarding regulatory resistance between the US and Japan, mainly in the automotive sector.

In his latest post, Trump reiterated his criticisms, listing other alleged non-tariff barriers such as manipulation of currency, export grants, and protective agricultural standards.

While the “Bowling Ball Test” remains unconfirmed, it lasts to symbolise the challenges of navigating international trade standards.

Earlier, a Boeing (BA.N), jet intended for use by a Chinese airline landed back at the planemaker’s US production hub on Sunday, a victim of the tit-for-tat bilateral tariffs launched by President Donald Trump in his global trade offensive.

The 737 MAX, which was meant for China’s Xiamen Airlines, landed at Seattle’s Boeing Field at 6:11 p.m. (0111 GMT), according to a Reuters witness. It was painted with Xiamen livery.